The St Vincent's Healthcare Group has said it will not be selling the new National Maternity Hospital site to the State.

This evening, the group said it must retain ownership of the land in order to facilitate the delivery of integrated patient care on the Elm Park Campus.

The Government has said it will re-engage with the St Vincent's Group and the Religious Sisters of Charity about buying the site amid concern over the medical independence of the new hospital.

In a statement, the St Vincent's Healthcare Group (SVHG) said its views on the land ownership were “understood and accepted” by the Department of Health in 2017 when a lease option was agreed.

It insisted the new hospital will be clinically independent with no religious or Vatican influence.

It said the new hospital building will be fully owned by the State while the land it is built on will leased to the State on an agreement lasting 99 years with the option for an extension.